Chapter Text
Education is the backbone of any modern society. Effort is valued, and talent is fostered. That is the ethos behind the SMP University. With our Ultimate programs, we scout the top students of any field and provide them with any and all resources necessary to excel in their discipline. 99% of the graduates from our program become world changers, bringing hope to a new tomorrow.
---
"Where... am I?"
That question played on loop in his head as he attempted to orient himself. He was on a bed. The comforter was thick and soft; the dark gray stood out against the white wall in front of him--his walls weren't white.
He sat up and his vision spun with the action. He forced his eyes to focus. The room was furnished very simply: a dresser in one corner of the room, an oak desk in the other, a small green TV mounted to the wall. A couple small flyers on the wall advertising different farmers markets. A hoe and a pair of work boots sat by the door. A collection of thick red jackets and dark jeans hung in the open closet. He looked down and saw that he was wearing the same kind of jacket and jeans with a plain white t-shirt. The jacket fit comfortably on his shoulders and the jeans were worn-in with dirt stains on the knees and hem line.
Everything felt familiar but at the same time strange. He didn't remember this room, but there was this feeling that everything was his.
How? Why did he not remember?
One conclusion was that this was his room. Or at least, it was supposed to be his room. He stood up with great effort. His limbs felt like lead and his head was full of cotton. He slowly walked over to the desk. He disliked the delay in his movements as he begged his body to react. The desk was clean, and there were a couple of pens and pencils lined up next to a closed notebook and a stapled stack of paper. He picked up the papers to see it was addressed to him.
"Dear Technoblade,
We're happy to inform you that you have been accepted to the SMP University's Ultimate program. We have determined that you are the best representative in your age group for the Ultimate Farmer title due to your achievements..."
Technoblade quickly scanned over the rest of the acceptance letter, finding the same generic welcome message and school orientation information packet he received months ago. Did this mean he was already in his dorm room? Last he remembered he was packing for the move to the university, mentally preparing himself to say goodbye to his farm and animals for the upcoming semester. If he was already here, then how did he get here and set up his life without remembering any of it?
Receive an answer, gain ten more questions.
"WELCOME!" Yelled a high-pitched voice, causing Technoblade to tense up. The TV was now on, and a small white puppet took up the screen. It looked like one of those ghost dolls people made for Halloween, but on its face was a black "XD" marking. It moved its little head around as the voice blared out the speakers. "I hope all of you are enjoying your first day here at SMP University! It is time to start the orientation and meet your fellow classmates! All students make your way to the auditorium on the first floor for a special announcement from your lovely principal! Make haste, I don't like waiting."
"Heh?" Technoblade said as the TV turned itself off. What in the world was that thing? Some sort of mascot?
His head was feeling clearer as whatever had knocked him out wore off. He started sliding on the (his?) boots that were by the door when he heard a light knock. Technoblade automatically reached into his jacket pocket to palm his folding knife. At least he’s armed?
"Hey mate, is anyone in here?" A voice called out from the other side of the door. Male sounding with a strong accent.
"Yes, who are you?" He yelled back.
"sh*t, it's Phil. Philza Minecraft. Who are you?"
Technoblade rattled his brain thinking of who he remembered coming into the matriculating class. There was little information available about who had been scouted, besides more famous cases like that major model or the influencer who shut down the internet when he got accepted. But this name felt familiar and he thought back to the information packet on the desk. Could it be him?
"I'm Technoblade." He said to the door. "Are you my roommate?”
"I guess? Wait, Technoblade... the potato guy! Oh, thank God. I remember looking at the news articles about you!" The voice--Philza--said. "Hey, do you mind opening the door? This is strange as is and, honestly mate I don't want to get that weird thing pissed."
Trust and curiosity are interesting things. He gripped the knife in his pocket as he opened the door. He was surprised by how short the other man was. Philza grinned up at him, blond hair falling into his blue eyes. His large black wings fluffed up a little, probably to make up the height difference. He looked like someone that will be your friend whether you want to or not.
"Woah," Philza said. "Sorry, I haven't met many nether hybrids before. Dude, you're huge."
Technoblade gave a little smirk and relaxed a bit, "Thanks?" He broke eye contact to look around this new space. There was another door opposite from his, and the space in-between was a cozy living room. A worn-out couch and chair, and a basic coffee table took up most of the room. There was a large bookshelf on the wall to Philza's room filled with well-loved books, several titles Technoblade recognized (the Iliad, the Art of War...).
"Do you know what is going on?" He said, still not meeting Philza's eyes.
"Not going to lie, I was hoping you knew the answer yourself. I was just packing to leave for the dorms and then all of a sudden I blacked out and I'm here," Philza said. "It's weird, I remember packing all of the stuff here. And things are where I would normally keep them. Like I found my hat on my nightstand just waiting for me. And my clothes? Its f*cking creepy."
What was he supposed to say? Introductions sucked, even when you couldn’t remember how you got here. Especially? Technoblade didn’t know. "Yeah, same here."
"sh*t, you wouldn't happen to have a map of the school or something mate? I don't really know how to get to the auditorium and I don't want to anger the puppet thing." He smiled, like they weren't in this crazy situation, and Technoblade couldn't help but smile back.
"I might have something helpful."
---
Luckily, the information packet had a map of the SMP University grounds with a close-up of each floor of the Ultimate building. They went the wrong way at first. Of course, they walked to the front of the school to see if they could leave. Philza quietly talked about nothing, and Technoblade was giving one- or two-word answers. It felt almost normal. But as they approached the entrance, they went quiet. There was no door. Or at least, a normal door. In its place was a large hunk of solid steel, with several oversized brackets holding it against the wall.
They stood there staring for a while, taking in the implications of what they were seeing.
Technoblade busied himself by staring at the map, but the silence was deafening. What were they supposed to say now? "Hey man, doesn't it suck that we were probably kidnapped?" No. "Hey do you know what habeas corpus is? Cause I think we might have been locked up." Definitely not. Instead, they just turned around and started walking to the auditorium. No words exchanged.
It was hard to ignore that everything was a step off from picture perfect. The rooms were neatly labeled, but all the doors were closed and the lights were off. There were little green TVs mounted every few yards. The hallways were wide with high ceilings and light-colored walls. But every step blurred together, and it was hard to tell exactly how far they had to go. There was no natural light despite the numerous windows--every one had the storm shutters firmly bolted in place. They relied on the overhead lights that flickered on as they passed. The lights were slow to warm up and they turned off shortly after they passed by.
The auditorium was easy to spot, being at the end of the hallway. Each door had a green sign with "Welcome to the new year!" printed across. A little doodle of that strange thing was in the corner of each sign.
The door opened easily, with the hinges creaking softly. The room was about the size of any high school theater. But the seats looked comfortable and the sound and lighting board looked state of the art. The carpet absorbed each footstep down the aisle.
People were gathered near the front of the stage. It was a diverse group, a mix of human and hybrid, and several turned their way as the door clicked shut. Technoblade kept a hand in his pocket, fiddling with the knife.
"Oh nice," Philza said, leading the way. "At least we're not the first ones here."
One person gave a polite nod towards them, and their crown (who just casually wore a crown?) stayed perfectly in place. "And that makes 20. If this whole situation is only for the incoming class, we're just missing six people." They said with authority, like they already determined what was going on and how exactly to solve it. "I am Eret, the Ultimate Monarch, part of the Ultimate program's incoming class. I use any pronouns."
"Philza Minecraft, the Ultimate Pilot." He marched right up and shook the monarch's hand. "He him pronouns, mate!"
"Technoblade, farmer. He him pronouns." Technoblade sat down in the closest seat, leaving Eret with his hand half extended. "What do you mean we're missing 6 people?"
"Well, there's 26 people in the incoming class." Eret said as they wiped their hand on their coat, "I am guessing that the principal will make their appearance when all the members find their way here."
"You say that like this is some sort of orientation event?"
The kid closest to him (skinny, blonde, probably graduated high school early) laughed. "Oh god, an orientation event!" The kid slapped Technoblade on the shoulder. Technoblade shifted away from him. The kid kept his hand on Technoblade's shoulder and Technoblade was seriously debating slapping it away. "f*ck, that's hilarious man."
"Thanks." He really wanted to slap that hand away.
"Also, Technoblade! That's an awesome name, mate. The Blade! I'm Tommy, Tommyinnit online. You might have heard of me." Technoblade stared, trying to place how he knew the strange child, or his username. Tommy’s smug face was familiar, but Technoblade said nothing, not wanting to prove the child right.
He was saved from talking to the child internet-star by the doors slamming against the wall. In the entrance stood three people. The diamond hybrid at the front looked very proud of himself, while the cat hybrid behind him looked tired. A lanky bald teen walked past and found a seat with no one around. "I told you I knew where I was going!" said the diamond hybrid.
"Yes, you dragging me across the entire first floor is knowing exactly where to go." The cat hybrid said.
"We were taking the scenic route! Getting a lay of the land or something. And look, we're not in trouble." He walked right up to everyone, and Eret was already posed and ready to greet him. "Hey!"
"Hello," Eret smiled politely. "I am Eret, the Ultimate Monarch, part of the Ultimate program's incoming class. I use any pronouns."
"They said this to every person who came in," Tommy whispered to Technoblade, "It’s getting f*cking repetitive." The goat kid (Heh) on the other side of Tommy punched him for that. "What? She said it like 5 times that we know of!"
“It’s still rude man.” the kid said.
"Skeppy and Antfrost. Ultimate Comedian who goes by him and him," said the diamond hybrid.
"Yeah, I also use he and him. I'm the Ultimate Furry."
"Holy sh*t!" A man at the doors said. "Wait, they let furries into this f*cking school?" He walked in with a swagger. His suit was mildly wrinkled, and his ram horns gave him a few desperately needed inches. He was followed by a man who was bent over laughing.
Eret gave a small frown at the newcomers, "Now, listen here--"
Antfrost held up a hand, "Don't worry about it. I doubt whatever this guy does is that impressive."
"Hey, I can ruin your life five ways to Sunday," Suit guy yelled as he sat down several rows back. "But you’re lucky I'm feeling f*cking generous today."
"Okay, I understand we're in a stressful situation," A demon hybrid spoke up. "But this is not the time to immediately jump down each other's throat. Let’s just take a deep breath and practice some patience."
"Don't bother," said a woman with a rose in her hair. "Guys like that don't listen. They just want attention."
That pissed off the suit guy. He started yelling threats and repeating 'do you know who I am?'. Which, to be fair to the other people in the room, Technoblade had no idea who this person was. Apparently, his name was J. Schlatt. Other people started yelling back at him with more nonsense; Tommy was especially loud, just cursing the man out and insulting the tiny wings of the guy standing next to him for good measure. It was getting chaotic and Technoblade had no interest in joining in. Instead, he took the time to scan the group, and immediately made eye contact with a woman a few rows ahead of him. Relief flooded through him as he recognized her. He had no idea how much time he lost, but Niki looked exactly as he remembered: her hair a faded pink and her soft brown eyes looked concerned. She started to speak but Technoblade held up a hand and gestured to the chaos around him. Niki closed her mouth and gave a little nod.
He turned back around to observe the fight more; a couple people looked like they were about to make this physical. He debated if breaking it up would be worth it.
But then the door quietly opened as Schlatt stood up and started waving his fist around. A smaller man in a colorful hoodie creeped in, softly closing the door behind him. He had a little grin on his face like he was expecting this chaos.
As the man slid into a seat, the lights in the room flickered on and off like a theatrical performance was about to occur. Everyone froze in place. Suddenly the house lights shut off and spotlights flashed on, lighting up the podium that took center stage.
"WELCOME INCOMING CLASS!" a high-pitched voice screamed out of the sound system. The puppet thing from earlier popped out of the stage and landed on the podium. It seemed larger in real life, the size of a stuffed animal rather than a tree decoration. "To your new school life here at the SMP University! I'm your amazing principal, XD!" The thing said the name by stating the two letters that were etched on its face.
The absurdity of the whole situation was getting to Technoblade. He was probably kidnapped, he woke up in the school he was supposed to attend a few weeks from now, there was no way to even look outside, and now there was a talking puppet named XD calling itself their principal. He pinched himself to hold back his laugh, but a couple of guys in the row ahead didn't feel like showing the same respect. A man in a green hoodie whispered something to the dark-haired man next to him and they both collapsed in a fit of laughter.
The puppet, sorry, their principal XD, was not happy with that. It somehow looked upset despite its face remaining static. "Now listen here you children. I am your principal and you better show me respect. This is not a good start to your school life here." It gave a few little hops to show how serious it was.
"Excuse me," Eret spoke up. "But you can't just gloss over all of this? Why are we here now and why can't we remember anything?"
"Yeah! And where's my phone!" Tommy yelled. At that, several people in the group started checking their pockets, just now noticing they were missing their devices.
"Be patient! I am about to explain how this school works and the changes that came about this year! Please save your questions for the end since your questions may be answered in my speech. And pay close attention, you might be tested on this!" The little thing did a couple more hops; if it had eyes, it would be winking. Something about how it moved, how it talked without a mouth, unsettled Technoblade. "Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! Your new school year!
"As you all know SMP University is one of, if not the top university in the world. And the Ultimate program creates some of the most important people in every field. This very building was created with the sole purpose of ensuring that the students will ask for nothing. Last year’s class even said they never had to leave the building for anything!
"So, to encourage productivity and group bonding, all connections to the outside world have been severed! That includes your phones, computers, and news sources. Those things are not needed here! You will be here forever, to protect the hope of tomorrow!"
Fight, flight or freeze instincts took hold, as multiple people shot up, either to get away or start arguing.
Technoblade was a part of the freeze camp. He didn’t trust his body to make the right decisions. He felt like he just woke again, with his world spinning in the noise and darkness.
Suddenly, the lights flashed on and a loud horn sounded. Everyone went silent; scared of being the scapegoat of this insane puppet. "Thank you." XD said. "Once again, save all questions and comments for the end. Thank you. I would hate to implement more serious measures to ensure proper classroom behavior. Now please, find your seats."
Some people still had the wherewithal to slowly sit back down. Others dropped into their chairs like they were hit. Everyone remained quiet. Technoblade looked around to see that nearly every set of eyes are on XD, fearful of any sudden actions. There was one other person--the guy in the green hoodie--who was also scanning the room. He made eye contact with him, for just a second. Technoblade must have imagined the slight lift of the guy's lip before he turned back around.
"Dear God, how are these Ultimate students," XD let out a dramatic sigh, "No patience. But I guess that is what makes some of you all Ultimate!
"Anyway, where was I? Yes... locked in here forever, no connection to the outside world." The room was motionless save the puppet’s hopping, "See I'm all off script because you can't show some respect for your principal! Speaking of respect, a major rule is you cannot harm or do any violence against your principal! You would think I wouldn't have to say that, but just in case.
"What else… Sleeping anywhere outside of a dorm room is considered sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly." The thing dramatically tilted its head around. "I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh yes! The rules to graduate had to change to accommodate the whole 'protecting the hope of tomorrow' motto we have. Instead of passing classes or grade levels, in order to graduate, and thus leave the campus, one must kill a classmate!"
The temperature of the room dropped several degrees. Technoblade's hand froze on the knife he was fiddling with.
"By doing this, that student will become the blackened and will have to pass the ultimate test, the class trial, in order to fully graduate and leave. Of course, any attempt to leave the school outside of the class trial will be considered skipping class and will be punished accordingly."
He had to be dreaming. He felt a sense of deja vu from the absurdity, but instead of wanting to laugh he wanted to… what? What were they meant to do? They had to wait until it was done talking to even voice how insane this whole thing was. Though this was in no way a normal classroom, the last person that joined raised his hand in the air.
"Thank you, someone that knows classroom etiquette. Please give your name and title before your question. We must get to know each other somehow!"
"Karl Jacobs." He stood up, pushing his long curly hair out of his eyes. "Can you explain how we got here? And what happened to our memories?"
"Well Karl, you brought yourselves here! You willingly enrolled in this school and now it’s orientation. Unfortunately, it has been decided that your memories of entering campus were going to be a hindrance on your academic life. So, they have been removed!"
"No." Karl's voice was hard. "I mean, beyond those ones. All my memories were messed with and I want to know why."
"Oh, that's unfortunate." There was no sympathy in XD's voice. "But mistakes do happen, and I'm guessing there were some issues with your enrollment. Don't worry! Any memories lost are unimportant to the participation in this school. It was debated if all your memories should’ve been erased to cut all possible outside ties, but that might get rid of the parts that make each and every one of you Ultimates.
"Now then, if no one else has any other questions, I will take my leave! Try to make the most of your school life here at SMP University!" XD ignored the shouts, out of both anger and confusion, and leaped off the podium. It fell through an open hatch on the stage that took the podium with it. Several people lunged at the stage, only to be left staring at the floor as it slammed shut.
How does one react to this? Technoblade was still; stuck in his own head. Ignoring his own emotions, he chose to observe everyone else’s. Some stared off into the abyss. A couple made a joke or two that no one reacted to. Someone who looked like a human (until he took out his anger on the stage itself and burnt it) banged on where the hatch was. Niki turned around to face Technoblade, but he quickly shook his head. He looked elsewhere, trying to ignore the scared expression on her face.
Slowly, the individual outbursts died down and they all gathered. The tension hung heavy in the air, and it was stifling them. Finally, Eret broke the silence. "So, we're going to need to work together in order to get out of this mess."
"What are we supposed to do? Didn't XD say that we can't leave?" Said a man with golden skin and a mouth full of shark teeth.
"No, it said that there was one way out." Schlatt spoke up. "Kill someone else. If you believe that thing."
The room went quiet again at the reminder that they were in fact strangers stuck in the worst game of the prisoner's dilemma. And it was hard to ignore the several eyes that turned to look at him. It was unsurprising, since he was significantly taller, and the oversized clothes did little to hide his build. Not to mention he was a nether hybrid. Even his bright pink hair did little to hide the fact he was the most intimidating person here. Stereotypes sucked.
"I'm not even going to entertain that thought." Eret said. "We need a solid plan. We should assess the resources we have, the potential ways out we can use, and understand where we are."
"This might be obvious, but the front door isn't an option." Phil said. "Technoblade and I went over there first thing and found a thick sheet of metal bolted to the wall where the door would be."
"Hm. Skeppy, Antfrost. You said you explored the whole school?"
"Kinda. There were gates blocking the way up the stairs and the elevators didn't work so it was really just the first floor."
"Excuse me?"
---
He wasn't lying. When they went to check out the stairs themselves, each stairwell had a large gate blocking access to the first step. If Technoblade craned his head at the right angle, he could see the landings for the first couple stories, but it was hard to judge how tall the building was.
Another loud man named Wilbur suggested they break into their dorm pairs to search the floor more efficiently. The pair that first laughed at XD's speech, Dream and George, was quick to agree to this. They separated from everyone else, their hands in interesting places.
Besides the few that just wanted to separate themselves from the crowd, most people stuck together in large groups. Niki was quick to drag the girl with the flower in her hair, Hannah, to follow Technoblade and Philza. It was getting harder to ignore her. It was even harder when she was one of the few willing to stand near him. A couple people didn't even try to hide their distrust of him. Staring out of the corner of their eyes, refusing to address him.
Their walk around was slow, and they were careful to check out every window and door. The classrooms were replicas of each other. They blurred together in the winding path of the hallways. Back in the dorm areas of the buildings, there were communal areas sporadically placed. The dining hall and kitchen had a full pantry and fridge, and a schedule for when fresh food was to be delivered throughout each week (which raised the obvious question of how any food was delivered). A laundry room in the middle of the dorms, right next to a locked door labeled a trash room. The most interesting find was the warehouse.
It was huge. Rows upon rows of shelving, filled with any item a student could need. There was no organizational system: generic clothes next to shelf stable foods, stationary next to heavy duty rope, knives next to craft supplies.
While the others were distracted by all the random items in the warehouse, Technoblade hung back to pull a pad and pen from one of the shelves. He jotted down a quick note and ripped the top page out. He folded the page up several times and hid it in the palm of his hand. He took his time wandering the aisles, trying to seem aimless.
Niki was by herself, but he still refused to acknowledge her presence. He just moved to her side, eyes locked on a shelf above her head. She gave him a side eye, but he didn’t falter. After a moment, he grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze.
His hand, now empty, reached up to examine the Styrofoam on the shelf in front of him. He could see out of the corner of his eye Niki opening the paper to find "Classroom 103, midnight. Keep it secret."
---
The search lasted for objectively too long. Techoblade and the others had probably searched every corner of the school twice and no convenient exit sign popped up. At 10 pm a ‘good night’ message played across the TVs, spooking them. Despite the consistent light, the shadows appeared longer now that they knew it was night time. Things felt like they moved out of the corner of their eyes and sounds felt more loud and sudden. The search was pointless but that fact was left unsaid.
Eret insisted that they all regroup in the morning to assess what comes next. They appointed themself to the role of leader and no one was willing to question it.
At midnight Technoblade slipped out of his room, careful not to alert Philza.
As he walked, the shadows followed his feet, and he felt uneasy turning every corner. It didn’t take long for him to be in-front of the classroom, still unsure what he was going to say.
This should be simple, open the door and explain to Niki his--honestly half-baked--plan. But he hesitated, his hand hovering above the handle. It wasn't like he feared Niki; she wouldn’t even purposely kill a spider. But still, he didn't want to willingly face her wrath.
Time to face the music. He pulled the classroom door open. Dust hung in the air, visible in the streams of lights from the fluorescent bulbs above. The shutters on the windows made it hard to judge exactly how late it was. Almost every chair was sitting on top of its desk, waiting for the janitor to come through and sweep the floors. In the middle of the first row Niki sat with her arms crossed; she was staring at the door with a blank look on her face. There was another chair neatly placed in front of her. Oh, she was pissed.
"Technoblade." She said quietly. Oh, she was really pissed.
"Hey Niki." He gave her a lopsided grin as he sat across from her. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Oh, so you do know who I am. For a bit I thought you forgot who I was since you refused to talk to me."
"So, about that." He scratched the back of his head, buying time to figure out the best way to say it. "I think it's for the best if we do just that."
She raised her eyebrows at him, letting the awkward silence hang in the air.
The tension was too much for him. "We don't fully understand the situation that, uh, thing, just put us in. And we don't really know anyone here. It's better to come at this on two fronts rather than one. Know the enemy and all that."
Niki sat up straighter in her chair, thinking through his proposition. Sun Tzu hasn’t failed him yet. "So, we each make friends here? I don't understand why that means you have to pretend not to know me."
"Well, making it apparent only divides us from the group. While not having all our cards on the table would be an advantage,” he said. "I know I'm not the most social person in the world." That was an underestimate. "And I know that I will struggle making connections here. With the stakes, and how much more likable you are, I'm the one relying on you here and I don't want my fault to hold you back."
Technoblade let her think about it. After a minute, Niki spoke, “So, you’re saying, if we act like we don’t know each other, if one of us fails to make someone our friend, we can basically try again?”
“Pretty much. Or more like, if I get everyone to hate me, you can still have an in.”
“Oh, Techno! You're probably right, but not everyone is going to hate you.”
He let out a little huff, “You don't have to spare my feelings, Niki. I know how long it took for us to be friends.”
“Oh yeah! It took so many cookies to get you to say more than ‘hi’ to me.” She giggled, “But hey, you can hold a conversation with people now!”
“Ugh, do not remind me. That one old regular you got, Midge, slapped me because she was convinced you were flirting and I was stringing you along for free food.”
“Oh, Midge likes you now!”
“Because I had to tell her I was gay and not interested!”
Niki burst out laughing. “Oh Techno, you don't want to acknowledge our deep love for each other? I'm sure if I tell everyone that, they would know how you're just a big push over.”
Technoblade gave her a little shove and she laughed harder. “Ha, ha. Such love. Very deep. Totally won't silence you if you try to tell anyone that story."
"Mhm, like you can stop me if you don't know me." She laughed.
“Don’t tempt me.” It was hard to keep the smile off his face. “My roommate seemed nice… and that internet star decided I was cool. I can befriend them and gain their allegiance. Hopefully that will be enough for me to pull my own weight here.”
“'I can befriend them'” Niki dropped her pitch to intimate him, a giggle still present in her voice. “‘Gain their allegiance’. You sound so serious, like you're going to battle just to make friends.”
Technoblade just stared at her, and she burst out into another laughing fit. "You can never be too careful. Niki, don't laugh at me. And with my skills it's basically, Niki, it's really hard to talk to you when you're laughing in my face." She just laughed harder and Technoblade smiled a little. He was going to miss doing things like this all the time.
He gave her hand a little pat and she calmed down again. Niki tried to talk, but she would start giggling again. She had to take a couple deep breaths to talk clearly, tears welling up in her eyes. "Ok, I'm good."
"You sure?"
"Stop it. You're going to make me laugh again."
"I'm not doing anything. I'm just watching nature take its course."
"Sure. Definitely not a culprit in this."
"Definitely, just a culprit of taking people to battle to be their friends."
“Yep, yep. Let's go into battle." Niki offered up a fist bump. “Ready to make friends, secret ally?”
This was possible. They could do this together. Technoblade made a dramatic sigh before bumping her fist, “As I'll ever be, secret ally.”
